Jardincito

Jardincito, located at 23rd and Whipple in Chicago's Little Village or La Villita neighborhood, is a new nature play space being built this summer by NeighborSpace, designed by Christy Webber Landscapes with the help of the Student Conservation Association's "Jensen Crew."

Richard Louv's groundbreaking book "Last Child in the Woods," coined the phrase “nature deficit disorder” to describe the physical and psychological effects of technology and sensationalist media literally driving parents and children out of the woods and into their screens. Louv believes this generation will be the first in modern times to have a shorter lifespan than their parents. But what if technology isn't the only obstacle to connecting to nature, what if fear of your life essentially assures that your child will not go outside?

We will be filming two families in the Little Village neighborhood to see if Jardincito can actually impede gang violence in the neighborhood and stop youngsters from joining a gang.

What if your neighborhood was essentially devoid of park space, safe park space you could get to?